Williams thrives under the radar

Dan O'Mara and Williams have held opponents under
50 percent passing in a 6-0 start.
Williams athletics photo

SUNY-Maritime, Amherst and Williams remained unbeaten.

Maritime and Amherst have been doing it with plenty of
fanfare Maritime's story has been trumpeted because this
amazing 9-0 season is coinciding with the upcoming deployment of
its head coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes to Afghanistan right after
the season.

Amherst is getting plenty of attention because of its 14-game
winning streak.

Williams might be playing in the shadow of its New England Small
College Athletic Conference rival Amherst, but the Ephs have put
together a 6-0 season under first-year coach Aaron Kelton.

And that shadow will be no more if the Ephs can keep it going
this week. They are about to meet Wesleyan in a Little Three Game,
one of those revered traditions in the NESCAC.

That would set it all up for Nov. 13 when Williams and Amherst
clash in the Biggest Little Game in America before 12,000 or so
fans.

But Kelton doesn't even want to go there. He and his staff are
keeping that one week, one game at a time approach that is a
cliche, but something cocahes know is vital.

And there's much more wrapped around this week's homecoming game
with Wesleyan than the Little Three (Williams, Wesleyan,
Amherst). thing.

Wesleyan is coached by Mike Whalen, who was the coach at
Williams until he changed his address to Middletown, Conn., this
season.

Williams quarterback Pat Moffitt has not missed a beat in making
the transition to a new coach and a new system. He threw for 266
yards and three touchdowns in the 38-7 victory over Hamilton and
has passed for 1,768 yards and 17 scores through the six
games.

"We haven't changed a whole lot," Kelton said. "We're using a
little more two-back stuff, but the base package is similar to what
they have done in the past."

A former quarterback at Springfield, Kelton appreciates what
Moffitt brings to the team.

"He is eager to meet with the coaches every week about the
game plan. He's a great student of the game," Kelton said.

"Most impressive to me is the way he takes command of the huddle
and his poise. He's on an even keel out on the field."

Kelton has already experienced the NESCAC philosophy which
precludes its champion from going to the playoffs. He was
previously in the Ivy League on the Columbia staff.

"I appreciate it it here. I love it here," Kelton said. "Sure,
I'd like to play more games."

Like most coaches in the NESCAC, he says he's fine with not
being eligible for the playoffs, but he would like to see the
league add a ninth game and have everyone in the 10-team league
play everyone else.

He will try to approach this game against the players' old coach
as simply the seventh game of the season or business as usual.

But he knows it will be more than that.

"It's going to be an emotional game for a lot of reasons,"
Kelton said.

Amherst did its part to keep pace in an offensive
extravaganza against Tufts. The Lord Jeffs outgunned the Jumbos
70-49 as Alex Vetras became Amherst's all-time passing
leader with 4,679 yards.

Vetras threw for 265 yards in a game that featured 1,303
yards of total offense.

Tufts quarterback Anthony Fucillo set a school record by
throwing for 503 yards in the game. Three of his 42 completions
went for touchdowns.

Amherst's Eric Bunker ran for 193 yards with three scores and
Matt Rawson scored his first career TD. And for good measure,
Rawson was 10- of-10 on extra points.

And speaking of those treasured NESCAC traditions, Colby held
off Bates 10-6 in the first leg of the CBB (Colby, Bates, Bowdoin)
series.

The Mules won by stopping Bates quarterback Trevor Smith on the
5-yard line on fourth down.

Tom Duffy led Colby's inspired defense with 10 tackles and leads
the team with 58.

There's more CBB action coming to spice up the late
season in Maine. Bates is at Bowdoin on Saturday and Colby hosts
Bowdoin Nov. 13.

She immediately called up the Castleton State 265-pound
short-yardage fullback who once pitched in the major leagues
despite having only one hand.

You see, Nancy's son Alex Cossman plays high school football,
basketball and baseball for Goldthwaite High School in Texas where
he is a junior. Alex was born without the bone that runs all the
way from the elbow down.

"I was a little more fortunate than he was," Bentz said.

Bentz looked at his phone and nearly didn't take the call.

"I usually don't take calls when I don't recognize the number,"
he said.

But he did answer and Nancy told him she thought her son
and Chad should get together.

"I said, 'Great. Do you have a computer with a camera so we can
talk to each other.' I was flabbergasted when she said she thought
they would fly up from Texas to meet me," Bentz said.

Castleton president David Wolk and football coach Rich Alercio
heard about it and became very excited. They decided to prepare a
royal Spartan welcome.

Cossman was part of the coin flip ceremony on the field,
complete with an introduction. He went to all the meetings with the
Spartans and was an honorary captain, leading them onto the field
with the Spartan flag as the band played the fight song. He
remained with them on the sideline and attended the big Halloween
parade Saturday night.

Sunday, Wolk opened the gym so Bentz could give Cossman some
special pitching instruction.

"It's just been great hanging out with him," Cossman said. "It
would be great playing college football on the Division II or III
level."

"I know you are not supposed to have heroes when you are an
adult, but Jim Abbott (the former major league one-hand pitcher) is
my hero. He gave me the courage to try it," Bentz said.

A high school junior from Texas might have just found a new hero
in Chad Bentz.

The 30-year-old Bentz has not given up on a return to the major
leagues and will be trying to hook up with a club for spring
training.

Privateers do it with defense

SUNY-Maritime found itself trailing Norwich 2-0 in the Eastern
Collegiate Football Conference showdown, but came back to win 20-2.
SUNY-Maritime's outstanding linebacker Keith Barnes set the tone
with an interception on Norwich's opening drive. Pat Lasher also
had a pick for the Privateers who scored two touchdowns off
turnovers.

The Privateers clinch the ECFC championship with the victory.
The ECFC does not have the AQ for the NCAA playoffs, but will have
it beginning in 2011.

Endicott gets a big one

Endicott ended Western New England's seven-game winning streak
with a 23-15 victory and the Gulls and WNEC are now both 5-1 in the
Boyd Division of the New England Football Conference.

Framingham State set a school record with its seventh win. The
Rams are 7-2 and are at the top of the Bogan Division in the NEFC
with Maine Maritime. Both are 5-1, although the Mariners have
beaten Framingham.

That combination of Kurt Leone and James McCarthy continues to
do great things for the Rams. Leone threw for 320 yards and five
touchdowns. McCarthy had three of those TD grabs and had nine
catches for 187 yards in a 34-13 win over Coast Guard.

Joe Treacy had seven tackles and his 257 career tackles puts him
at the top of the Framingham list.

Salve Regina fashioned its first four-game winning streak
since 2000 by beating Plymouth State 30-14. Jimmy Connelly threw
three touchdown passes for the 5-4 Seahawks.

Berneche burns Bucs

Evan Berneche was a workhorse with 38 carries and got
plenty of production out of it. He ran for 158 yards and a
score in leading Westfield State to a 28-14 win over Mass.
Maritime.

Russell and Russell at Worcester

Kenny Russell caught five passes for 118 yards and two
touchdowns. Tyler Russell had 19 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss
along with a sack and a forced fumble. They helped lead Worcester
State to a 41-6 win over Fitchburg State. Tyler Russell has a
whopping 153 tackles in nine games.

Marcus Price piled up 181 yards on the ground with a TD.

It all made homecoming special for the 5-4 Lancers.

Curry also won in the NEFC as Harold Rose threw two scoring
strikes to Robert Bambini in a 28-10 win over UMass-Dartmouth.

Curry receiver Victor Martinez is being deployed as a member of
the Army in March.

"We are very proud of him and what he is doing for the country,"
Curry coach Skip Bandini said.

There were some happy Nichols Bison in the NEFC. They broke
through for their first win, 17-14 against MIT. It ended a 10-game
losing streak. Irie Perry led the way, running for two touchdowns
and Matthrew Bryson had 121 yards rushing.

Brozowski does it again

Castleton State quarterback Shane Brozowski had over 400 yards
passing for the fourth time this season. He riddled Becker with 409
yards and three touchdowns in a 53-6 victory. Freshman Brandon
Boyle caught all three TD passes and Andrew Cavanaugh caught eight
balls fir 152 yards. Brozowski did all this while not playing in
the fourth quarter.

Castleton, in its second year, is assured a winning season at
5-3 with one game remaining.

Bantams crow in own barnyard

Nobody protects its turf quite like the Trinity Bantams. They
won for the 38th consecutive time at Jessee/Miller Field by beating
Middlebury 25-10.

The Bantams lead the NESCAC in rushing at 233.7 per game and got
159 yards on the ground from Evan Bunker. Ben Sherry ran for two
touchdowns.

Dwyer on fire

Wesleyan tuned up for its big game with Williams by whipping
Bowdoin 41-7 as Shea Dwyer amassed 164 yards on 27 carries. He set
a single-season rushing mark at Wesleyan with 1,015.

Gallaudet sets up Homecoming

There should be excitement in D.C. this weekend for homecoming
with undefeated SUNY-Maritime paying a visit.

Gallaudet set the stage for the big day by trouncing Anna Maria
33-6 behind Cole Johnson and quarterback Jimmy Gardner. Johnson ran
for 178 yards and it included a 67-yard burst to the end zone.
Gardner completed five of 11 passes for 116 yards and two
touchdowns.

The Bison are 5-4 and have a chance for a winning season under
the lights Saturday night against the Privateers.

The Big Games

Gray November days and that chill that comes with them bring
plenty of excitement for the teams still playing meaningful games
because that meaning only intensifies.

And games that don't have meaning in terms of playoff
possibilities and league championships, frequently have
tradiition.

Bates and Bowdoin will be scrapping in a CBB series game and
Middlebury and Hamilton will be fighting for the Old Rocking Chair.
Mass. Maritime hosts Bridgewater State in the Cranberry Bowl.

Norwich and Castleton State will be battling for the Old Sap
Bucket and the Cadets might be playing for some sort of postseason
game with their 7-2 record.

In the NESCAC, the places to be are at Williams and Trinity.

The Trinity game is really intriguing. Something has to
give in Hartford, Conn. Trinity puts that 38-game home winning
streak on the line against the Amherst team toting that
14-game winning streak.

A seven time Vermont sportswriter of the year, Tom Haley has been with the Rutland Herald since 1987. He was inducted into the Castleton State College Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Contributor to Football Award from the National Football Foundation's Vermont Chapter. He has been D3football.com's Around the Northeast columnist since 2007.